The Duoderm Dressing

Duoderm dressings are used on wounds that heal slowly and are commonly used to treat leg ulcers. Duoderm dressings come packed in sheets of about 3 inches by 4 inches and can be bought from any drug store, without a prescription. The duoderm dressing is also known as a hydrocolloid dressing and is derived from fruit pectin.

The duoderm dressing’s main purpose is to make available a healing environment that is moist and prevent the wound from bacterial and other external pollutants. This greatly helps in reducing the chances of an infection caused by bacteria and pollutants.

In addition to protecting the wound, the duoderm or hydrocolloid, unlike most other dressings also helps a wound heal it faster.

The duoderm dressing is also uses to affix nasogastric tubes or CPAP masks onto patients face. This is because the duoderm does not cause irritation on the face while used as covering.

People have also found alternative uses for the duoderm dressings. These are now commonly used to heal acne on face or used to heal pressure ulcers (also called bedsores).

The duoderm dressing has many other uses as well.

It can also be used to treat eczema. It helps in containing the ointment applied to cure eczema and lets it work better and prevents the patient from scratching the affected area.

A duoderm dressing helps provide comfort to patients, as the type of wounds it is used on are very uncomfortable and the bandage helps in soothing the wound.

Before applying the duoderm dressing, make sure that the wound is cleansed. You can do this with hydrogen peroxide or and antibacterial soap. After the wound is cleansed it should also be dried.

Care should however, be taken that duoderm is used only on lightly oozing wounds and minor skin injuries as it has a limited absorbent capacity. It could also be used to avoid damage, due to rubbing, to fragile skin in high risk patients and as a secondary dressing.

The sticky side of the dressing is the one that should be placed in contact with the wound and should be held in place by tape that can easily be pulled off without any hassle.

It is imperative that the duoderm dressing be replaced every third day. However if the wound is ejecting a lot of fluid you might need to change it earlier. You can ask a doctor about the frequency of change.